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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · straw · racket · ball · fan · club

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. club — for golf
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. club — for dancing
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ball — a great time
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lean — to bend
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. club — a group
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. ball — a dance

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com